We Are iMicro

An immigrant of Guatemala born in 1975. After hardship from an earthquake and political instability in Guatemala our family immigrated illegally to the United States in 1979. Arriving in Hollywood, CA after our long journey through Mexico life in America for immigrants in the 80s was not easy. With immigration officers constantly breaking doors down to homes and deporting immigrants at that time, we moved around constantly until finally ending up in San Bernardino, CA.

My upbringing was shaped by strong-willed parents who pushed forward and instilled a strong work ethic in us.  We struggled to stay afloat from time to time. I remember my brother and I would ride our bikes before and after school collecting aluminum cans wherever we could find them. We would dumpster dive in apartments and businesses to collect them and sometimes find items that we thought were prizes but were just trash for others.

By the time I was in 6th grade my parents started cleaning office buildings at night. We helped clean those offices after school until I graduated high school. While working roughly 7-9 hours after school, and weekends, I still participated in high school sports. Even with the strenuous schedule I maintained I was able to letter and excel in multiple sports. Throughout my four years of participation I was also able to maintain a 4.0 grade point average and above. I graduated in 1994 at the top 10 percent of students in the state of California.

Subsequently, I later attended higher education while working alongside my father in his landscaping business. My entrepreneurial spirit pushed me to exit college early to follow the dream of owning my own business. In December of 1998 at the age of 23, I established Cool Cat Tattoo and body modification.

I began to grow my business as the youngest minority in an industry not commonly owned by minorities. At the time I did not recognize that I was opening new doors for others like myself to dream of ownership in this new space.  With the life lessons, hard work ethic, and resilience that my family had instilled in me I proceeded successfully to build and expand. With a solid foundation I began expanding and in doing so I embarked on my journey in investing in real estate. I became one of the first to successfully purchase my first commercial real estate investment in the tattoo industry.

Simultaneously growing my passion for real estate, my portfolio grew. I took time to clean up my community, bringing a new life and a safe space to the communities we served. In 2017, after 18 years of dedication, with a heavy heart I successfully exited Cool Cat Tatttoo. A business that continues to thrive after being in business for a quarter century.

Now with a new venture and as a founder of iMicro, I embrace this next exciting chapter of my journey. Drawing from the profound life lessons learned, the bedrock of family values, a visionary approach, and a steadfast commitment to integrity, I aspire to cultivate and contribute to iMicro’s vision and the responsibilities that accompany our mission to serve the community and families they are dedicated to supporting while striving for digital sustainability.